Martin Truex Jr. Makes History at Daytona 500

By Chris Olmstead

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Martin Truex Jr. went into the Daytona 500 looking to add his name to the history books as a winner of the Great American Race. Instead he left the track after blowing an engine on lap 30. The blown engine lead to a last place finish and some history that Truex didn’t want to make.

Truex became the first driver since Pete Hamilton in 1973 to begin the race on the front row and finish in the last position.

Daytona was tough all around for Truex. After qualifying second and seeming to have a car to win the race, he was caught up in a wreck during his duel race. Despite being forced to move to a backup car and having to start in the rear of the field, Truex was still confident he could win. All of that came crashing down though when his engine went south just prior to the rain delay during the Daytona 500.

After losing his engine Truex was interviewed by NASCAR reporters and he shared his disappointment.

I mean it’s definitely a tough break for the team. The car was super-fast today and I went to bed last night thinking that this was my best shot ever to win the Daytona 500 and really felt that way – even today. The car was just so good and we were just riding around and biding our time you know, being patient and trying to get to the end of this thing. Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be.

This weekend Truex and the rest of the NASCAR circuit will be rolling into Phoenix for The Profit on CNBC 500. In case you were wondering, this race is indeed sponsored by a new TV show. Hopefully for the sake of Truex he is able to make a different kind of history at the Phoenix International Raceway.

Christopher Olmstead is a NASCAR writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @WhooYouKnowIt “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google